Oh My Golly Gosh... Still It Goes On!!!
By Darkwing
@Darkwing (21583)
February 5, 2009 8:47am CST
Remember the traditional Golliw*g, which was so popular in days gone? They started out as rag dolls and became so popular that they appeared on biscuit tins, musical boxes, badges, jars, as ornaments, quilts, cushions... just about every place you could imagine. Then suddenly, somebody in the hierachy decided that they could be of a sensitive nature and ultimately offend. Huh? They were really cute and I would imagine that this "sensitivity" was not amongst those whom it might offend, but rather, the hierachy could not be seen to offend! However, they were taken off sale from just about everywhere and in every form, until recently, when they started to appear back on the shelves. In fact, I have two small ornamental ones which I purchased recently... one flying a kite and the other holding a balloon. They're so cute, I couldn't resist them. No offensive though entered my mind even... I just thought they were cute, reminded me of my childhood days and would look great in my cabinet. I mean... why should they be banned? I tend to suspect that it wasn't because of their connitations, as the Black and White Minstrels were allowed to continue, and come on... let's face it...!
Today, I was watching the news on TV and there was a report on a shop who were displaying gollies in their shop-front window. They had been approached by Buckingham Palace, probably indirectly via some messenger, and told that their display might arouse sensitivity, and "we couldn't be seen to offend". How ridiculous is that? I doubt the dolls were ever made to offend anybody... they were just an unusual toy, and very popular at that! I love them, and so do my grandkids, so why, oh why, do we have to tread so softly softly. If I were one of the so called "sensitive" ones I would be honoured that we recognised their place in life. After all, we don't get complaints about dolls, which are made in different races and colours, so what's with this doll? I think we've grown more now, and we, as a nation, on the whole, accept different cultures and races. So, when is all this going to end? It's crazy if you ask me!
Bring back the Golly!!! What do you all say?
6 people like this
12 responses
@Lakota12 (42600)
• United States
5 Feb 09
yup we need to get back to speakong like we always have!.
I really didnt think I ever really talked out of place.
Just said what I thought lol still do!.
yup I would like to have seen them to see what the holly baloo is all about!
hugs and blessings
1 person likes this
@Darkwing (21583)
•
5 Feb 09
It's a pity you didn't ever see them, my friend. They were so cute, and I don't think the sensitivity is with the people on whom they were possibly fashioned, but rather with the hierachy who "think" those people should be offended. What the heck is it all about... as you say, political correctness is getting out of hand and is definitely not a way to get us all to live together, as one nation.
Brightest Blessings, my dear friend, and thank you for your contribution. x
@faith210 (11224)
• Philippines
5 Feb 09
Hi Darkwing! Oh I do remember them! Even out here, we had two of those when I was a child. I really don't know where they are..maybe it got lost from our moving at that time. I never knew that they got "controversial" as they are really not popular in our country. I do find them cute and wished that we were able to keep them.
Take care and have a great day!
lovelots..faith
@Darkwing (21583)
•
5 Feb 09
Hi Faith! Good to see you after so long, my friend. I hope you're keeping well.
Yes, I agree with you too. They're a cute, nostalgic toy from our past, and I love them. My grandchildren know what they are and love them too, so what's the hassle? They don't regard them as being offensive to anybody else and they include them with their other soft toys... they have a place of residence on the bottom of their beds. I don't see why they can't be displayed in shop windows just because the hierachy sees fit to find them offensive when nobody else does!
Brightest Blessings, my friend and thank you for your contribution. x
1 person likes this
@faith210 (11224)
• Philippines
5 Feb 09
Hi dear! It is great to see you again my friend. It has been a long time and I do wish that you're doing great. I am doing fine and I have been missing a lot of friends here including you. I guess, now that you are here, maybe the others will appear too! 
lovelots..faith
lovelots..faith1 person likes this
@Darkwing (21583)
•
5 Feb 09
Sadly, I think some have been banned through a troll and others have become fed up and followed behind them. It's such a shame that some people can't handle others having fun and making friends. But, it takes all sorts to make a world I guess. I'm going to send you a PM my friend... I hope you don't mind. xx
1 person likes this
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
6 Feb 09
Remember Noddy? I can remember Noddy and his friends from when I was a tiny tot. I used to find his story time fascinating with Golliwog, his little car and constable Plod.... I think that was his name, and many other characters. He wasn't animated or anything but using our imagination when the story was read to us was fabulous. We had a picture of the characters and had to make the rest of the pictures up in our minds. Political correctness entered the world of Noddy and although I could not understand the racial connotations that were hinted at I remember being very sad for my own sake, like as though some of my childhood friends had been taken away.
I found this very interesting link Darkwing:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golliwogg
@Darkwing (21583)
•
7 Feb 09
Hmmmm... an interesting article indeed. I knew most of that but how could golliwogs first have come into being during WW2, as NancyCrowina says, when Robertson's adopted them for their jam jar mascot in 1910??? WW2 was 1939-1945, so I guess that's a version that somebody liked to give, as the origin! lol.
You just had me watching a Noddy video on the noddy.com website, lol. He's soooo cute and funny! Yes, I remember his golliwog friend, and they tried to ban him from the stories for the same reason. I'm not sure whether they were successful, but they certainly tried it. It was P.C. Plod, but the same difference! lol. I've found a pic with golly in it!
Thank you for all the info... I was almost believing that WW2 story! lol. Brightest Blessings, my dear friend. x
1 person likes this
@Darkwing (21583)
•
7 Feb 09
Awwww... you don't know what you missed. There were some very cute ones around. I'll have to find you a pic. Golliwogs must have been known there for you to call tadpoles by the name I guess, but with the racial connitations they were said to have carried, perhaps they didn't encourage the toy in your country.
Brightest Blessings and thank you for your contribution, my friend.
1 person likes this
@kayrod2 (1304)
• Australia
7 Feb 09
Hi Darkwing.
this news made it over to our country. i heard it the other day to. so ridiculous! i always had these as a child. i loved them. about 6 years ago, someone knitted one for one of my children. she loved it. i have loved reading the other comments in this discussion, they have bought back some memories.
i think things are going too far with all this political correctness. our poor children are missing out and what about future generations. and i havent met one person who is in agreeance with it. they all think its stupid. you cant call it a blackboard anymore it has to be a chalk board. but they have white boards and it seems fine to call them that. and nursery rhymes seem to be offensive as well. the list goes on and on.
best wishes to you and take care
xxxxx
@Darkwing (21583)
•
9 Feb 09
Hi Kay! Yes, I agree that it's our children who are missing out because of just a few idiots using the toy's name with racial connitations, but then when it comes to the blackboard and chalk, don't some races call us chalkie, or whitie? That's ok though, isn't it? I mean... we don't get aggressive and shout "racist". We get called pinky as well, but do they ban the colours white and pink, or is chalk called by some other name, like writing stick? Noooooooooo. If they go around changing our language much more, then we shall all speak a foreign language! It's a never ending mess I'm afraid!
Brightest Blessings, and thank you for your contribution, my friend.
@Kashmeresmycat (6369)
• United States
7 Feb 09
Hi Darkwing!
Aww, Golliwogs are so cute! I never had one but I do know of them from Ebay and what they were all about.
I believe the reason they were banned is because of what was written usually beside the picture of them on jars, bottles, postcards, etc. I've read some of them and alot are racially slurring from a long time ago. Way back. Not all of them but most of them unfortunately but now they are highly collectible.
If they keep banning stuff, we won't learn a darn thing now will we?
1 person likes this
@Kashmeresmycat (6369)
• United States
9 Feb 09
I agree with you 100% all the way. I just think if they would all shut up and leave things alone sometimes, it would be a much happier world to live in. What was in the past, is in the past as far as I'm concerned. We all learn from mistakes, and we also learn from history. If everything is banned, we learn nothing on how to change the future. Look at all the classic books that have been banned...Grapes of Wrath, To Kill A Mockingbird, Uncle Tom's Cabin, Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer, Color Purple. Good Grief already! Sure it makes them more collectible and highly desirable because they are banned. But to me, that's the way it was back then, and I think we need to go forward, drop all this ridiculous censorship created by all these organizations because most of it is crap to begin with.
1 person likes this
@anonymili (3138)
•
5 Feb 09
I had a golliwog when I was a kid and I'm British Indian, I never found it offensive and neither did any of the black kids I used to play with from my neighbourhood. Don't know when it became un PC but it got very silly... I'm a bit to be worried about bringing back the golly but yes there is just too much which is considered offensive which isn't actually offensive and causes more of a divide because people are scared to use certain words or expressions in front of friends, colleagues, neighbours, etc, which were all perfectly acceptable 25 or 30 years ago...
1 person likes this
@Darkwing (21583)
•
5 Feb 09
No, I don't think any "ordinary" person was offended by it. I think it was all a big hoohah over nothing in that the hierachy thought they had to be seen not to offend the sensitive! Poppycock! They were banned long before "political correctness" became an issue or excuse. I think they were gone probably in the 70s or early 80s... such a shame. I recall there used to be a colour brown that they called n**ger brown too, and chocolate brown... that's not allowed any more, of course.
You're right... we all accepted things that were way back when but there was a bit of a racialist problem. Brightest Blessings, my friend, and thank you for your contribution. x
@nancyrowina (3850)
•
6 Feb 09
Golly's actually came about because during world war 2 there was lots of black fabric issued so women could make thick blackout curtains that stopped the light from the house escaping (these were so towns weren't lit up so they couldn't be seen from the air and targeted by German Bombers). So from the scraps they made dolls for their children, they gave them wide eyes and round mouths so they looked surprised and called them golliw*gs. It's obvious what part of the name offends people these days but in those days words like that were used freely and even showed up in children's story books, luckily society has moved on since then. They were never intended to be racist though, at the time it was just a joke about the colour of the doll, and the colour only happened because of all the surplus black fabric, now we just refer to them as Golly's and I see no reason they should be banned. I have a collection of golly brooches I collected from saving the tokens on Robinson's Jam, they are collectors items now and are in no way offensive.
1 person likes this
@Darkwing (21583)
•
7 Feb 09
Yeah, Robertson's had to withdraw them from the jam jars pretty quick smart too. Those badges, and the little figurines are collectors' items now. I used to collect them myself when I was a kid.
The origin you've told me about, I didn't know. That was very interesting to read... thank you. I knew they weren't made as an offensive item, but that just shows the mentality of some, huh... mainly those in the government and such. I think they're really rather cute myself and not at all offensive... kids cuddle them in bed, so where the offense is in that, I don't know. Grrrrrrrrr.
Brightest Blessings and thanks for the info.
@sparkofinsanity (20471)
• Regina, Saskatchewan
5 Feb 09
I grew up in a 'well defined white neighbourhood'. But I had a golliwog doll. When I met my first Black person, I was sooooooooo impressed that they didn't flop and flail all over the place! LOL The more we make things 'sensitive' the more attention we draw to the negative and the end result is usually more hate not less. It's like telling a teenager NO and expecting them to listen and NOT do whatever it is. All you end up with is rebellion and strife in the home.....
1 person likes this
@AnnieOakley1 (5596)
• Canada
5 Feb 09
OH, they can't call them "PlayPens" any more,they call them something else more poltically correct. They outlawed walkers and jolly jumpers, when me and both my children were raised using them. No idea why.They banned spanking, as if LESS discipline would help the younger generation know their limits.....yeah, that worked out really well.
ANYTHING could be considered offensive by SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE, but Geesh, must we stop living and enjoying the thing that WE enjoy? C'mon, this is getting ridiculous.
ANYTHING could be considered offensive by SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE, but Geesh, must we stop living and enjoying the thing that WE enjoy? C'mon, this is getting ridiculous.
@prasanna1990 (816)
• India
6 Feb 09
happy mylotting good posting hope i cant get u what ur discussing about
1 person likes this
